Best Mountain Bikes of Interbike 2012

Pivot Mach 429 Carbon

9 / 10

The new carbon 429 still has 100mm of travel, but it is stiffer and lighter than its aluminum counterpart—Pivot owner Chris Cocalis claims it’s 12 percent more rigid and .375 pounds lighter. Pivot also made subtle but important tweaks to the bike’s geometry. Designers relaxed the head tube by .3 degrees and lowered the bottom bracket 1 inch. Even more significantly, Pivot trimmed the chainstays from 18 inches to 17.65 inches. The Mach 429 also gets slick internal cable routing, ISCG 05 chainguide tabs and dropper-post guides. The bike should be available in November. Frames will run $2,800 and complete bikes will start at about $4,400.